I’m going to get straight to the point, I liked the CoilArt Subtank. When I saw that it was retailing for under £20 I liked it even more. But when I got going with its pre-installed mesh coil, I fell in love with this tank. This tank is all about the superb mesh coil it comes with.
If you’re after a stock coil sub-ohm tank akin to the likes of the SMOK baby beast or Uwell Nunchaku, the CoilArt Mage subtank is one to consider.
Make no mistake, this isn’t a SMOK TFV12, nor a Uwell Valyrian, if you’re after a monstrous power beast, this isn’t where you should spend your cash. If you’re after a tank that balances flavour, performance, clouds, and cost – then I’m confident enough to say you may have found it with the CoilArt Mage Subtank.
It’s well designed, looks smart, and, it’s easy to use. Let’s dive in to the reasons why I think the Mage sits heads and shoulders above a lot of similar sub-ohm tanks, without condescendingly mentioning how an RDA or an RTA will always be better. Ok. It’s true. They are. But I’m on your side. You have jobs, kids, aging parents, washing to do, dinner to cook and friends to meet and neither the time nor the will to want to build and wick your own coils when you can buy them straight off the shelf.
I know it, you know it, and luckily, CoilArt know it – which is why after releasing the CoilArt Mage RTA V2 they went straight on to launching a stock coil version of essentially the exact same tank. Well done CoilArt.
For the purpose of this review, I am looking at the black and golden version of the CoilArt Mage SubTank. I predominately used Just Jam on Toast which is an 80/20 VG/PG e-liquid and had the tank sitting on the Aspire Skystar.
Disclaimer: I received the CoilArt Mage SubTank for the purpose of this review. All opinions are based on my own experience.
What’s in the Box:
The Mage came neatly packaged in a solid box with a nice outer layer. No complaints. It looks good and feels classy.
- 1 x Mage SubTank
- 1 x Extra Mage Coil
- 1 x Extra Bubble Tube
- 1 x Spare O-ring
- User manual & Warranty
- Quality Certificate Card
Specs and Features
- Height: 44mm
- Diameter: 24 mm
- Capacity with rubber seal: 2ml
- Capacity with rubber seal removed: 4ml
- Capacity with bubble glass: 5.5ml
- Drip Tip: 810
- Mage mesh coil resistance: 0.2 ohm
- Coil Wattage range: 50-90 watts, best 60-80 watts
- Mage coil standard: 0.4ohm
- Coil Wattage range: 30-80 watts, best 40-50 watts
- Coil material for standard coil: Kanthal & organic cotton
- Adjustable bottom airflow – triple slots
- Unscrew top fill
- Threading: gold-plated non-adjustable 510 pin
Available colors: black golden | black red | black blue
Build Quality
The build quality is good. I’m not going to pretend to know the materials used but everything arrived clean and tightened down smoothly. It feels solid, has good weight, and after heavy use there isn’t any sign of wear, tear, or, paint peel. The 24mm diameter means this tank is going to look good on most vape mods.
It is also one of the easiest tanks I’ve come across to unscrew when refilling. The knurling is extremely grippy and I haven’t once had to grab a tissue and wrestle with the top to get it undone.
One niggle, the tank does get hot after chain vaping. Hot enough that if you have been chain vaping and need to refill, you may need to leave it to one side for a minute to cool off before trying to get the cap off.
Aesthetics
The Coilart Mage is a good-looking tank. There isn’t anything to take offence to, no snake skin effect finishes, no gaudy colour’s, and, no imposing drip tip. It’s simple but not boring. The gold etching around the drip tip and towards the base in my opinion just adds enough flare to keep it looking far more expensive than the £20 price point.
The frosted bubble glass may or may not be your thing but it isn’t distasteful or overly showy.
The drip tip is 810 and stumpy. The plastic around it is so thick that the air-hole comes up small. It took me a little while to get used to it but once I did it was fine.
How Does CoilArt Mage SubTank Perform?
Quick Start Use
The tank comes with two coils. The mesh coil rated at 0.2 ohm comes pre-installed. A spare standard 0.4 ohm is also provided, wrapped in CoilArt branded protective packaging, which feels hygienic compared to companies who provide their spares without.
Both coils screw into the base. When you’re replacing the coils make sure you screw it down firmly but not so tight that you can’t remove it later.
One thing to keep in mind is that you do need to have an empty tank when replacing the coils, not ideal, but some tanks are worth it.
To fill the tank up you simply put your eliquid into the large kidney shaped juice fill holes and then screw the cap back on.
Stock Coils
The Standard 0.4 Ohm Coil
The standard 0.4 ohm coil is decent. There was very little break in time, approximately one full tank of juice, but overall the flavour and vapour production are both good. Not sensational but above average, good.
It’s a warm to hot dry style of vape. My personal preference with this coil was to leave the adjustable airflow halfway shut and while the coil coped fine throughout the wattage range, my sweet spot was 42 watts. The coil is rated at 0.4 ohm but on my mod it came in at 0.38 ohm.
The Mesh 0.2 Ohm Coil
The mesh coil is the real star of the show. The flavour is superb. Again, it’s a warm vape and slightly on the wet side but in a delicious sort of way. It performed throughout the wattage range but my preference with this coil was to leave the airflow fully open and my sweet spot was 60 watts.
I left this tank sitting for 16 hours during the course of my testing. When I fired it up there was a loud crackle and pop. It took me by surprise but the coil was fine. This is perhaps something to watch if you’re the type to leave your sub-ohm device at home during the day. I’d advise giving it a gentle pulse of power to get it warmed up before you begin vaping.
Coil Resistance Jump
The resistance of these coils did jump around widely. The coil is rated at 0.2 ohm. I didn’t get a 0.2 ohm coil reading at any point. I got readings ranging from as low as 0.15 ohm up to 0.18 ohm. This didn’t impact performance though and if I’m right, this is more common in general with mesh coils.
Upon reviewing the CoilArt website there also appears to be a standard 0.2 ohm coil. This is referenced in the instruction manual also, but it wasn’t included in the kit so I can’t give a review on its performance.
Coil Life
Both coils just went on and on, although the mesh coil did peak the standard coil. After 11 days using the mesh coil there was zero signs of it starting to go. Reluctantly I had to ditch it purely so that I had enough chance to properly review the other coil.
The 0.4Ohm coil I’m still vaping on while I’m writing this. I’ve been using it for 5 days none stop and it’s only today I’ve noted a slight flavour drop but only slight. This coil feels like it still has at least 3 or 4 more days left in it.
It’s important to state I am a serious chain vaper. This vape came away on holiday with me, and, in an evening sat on the balcony of my hotel, where I was free to blow as many obnoxious clouds as I liked, this tank was in constant use. I didn’t get a single dry hit. Also,
I didn’t experience any leaking. I mean none at all, not even a smidgen of residue around the base.
All that said while I love this tank and its coils, if you’re the type that prefers a cool vape, this isn’t the tank for you. Both coils gave off a warm to hot vape
On a side note, I’ve heard that SMOK baby beast coils are compatible with this tank, but honestly, I can’t see why anyone would choose to put SMOK coils in this tank when a three pack of coils by CoilArt will cost you under £10 and likely last much longer and have better flavour. The coils are terrific value.
Pros:
- Longevity of coils
- Affordable
- Mesh coil has superb flavour
- Easy to unscrew topfill due to grippy knurling
- Large juice holes
- Good eliquid capacity
- Warm vape
- Looks good and nice build quality
- No leaks
- Bubble glass to increase capacity provided
Cons:
- Resistance of coils aren’t accurate
- Cannot change the coil with a full tank of e-liquid
- Some people may prefer a clear rather than frosted bubble glass
- Will not appeal to those who prefer a cool vape
Final Verdict
The CoilArt Mage is a great tank at an affordable price. End of. The flavour from the mesh coils is some of the best flavour I’ve ever experienced from a stock coil. Period.
I cannot be more definitive and I would have no issue recommending this tank to readers, family, friends or anyone looking to buy a sub-ohm tank of this ilk.
